The initiative began after Head of Community Mark Brocklehurst noticed derisive sideline comments aimed at the referee during an Old Boys game. Although the remarks were not abusive, Mark felt they were at odds with the club’s values and ethos. He raised the issue with the Board, who agreed that the behaviour didn’t reflect the spirit of TREDS or the environment they wanted to create.

From there, they launched a behaviour-change campaign to promote respect for match officials. Vice President John Kelly became the project’s champion, leading a series of improvements including a changing room revamp, assigning a designated greeter for referees, and running awareness campaigns for players and members. Mark said: “While the behaviour was never hostile, it wasn’t supportive or encouraging and it came from both our supporters and the opposition’s. Interestingly, the more the crowd shouted, the more the on-field behaviour deteriorated.
“Our supporters were quick to change, as most were our friends and clubmates. It was easy to gently correct anyone who forgot, and they understood. We also noticed that, over time, this filtered through to the players too.”

To measure their success, the club introduced referee surveys covering areas such as pre-match communications, pitch markings, and the conduct of players and spectators.
Their efforts did not go unnoticed by visiting match officials. In the RFU’s annual match officials survey, where match officials were asked which clubs offered the most welcoming environments, Bolton were the most frequently mentioned club. One participant said: “Bolton RUFC: they are a hugging club. Chairman gave me a hug! Different.”

Mark and the rest of the club were delighted to hear the feedback. He said: “It was brilliant to hear, and a testament to how we are as a club. We’re not finished and it’s something that’ll always be ongoing.
“It only takes one weak link to ruin the day and the club’s reputation, so we’ll keep promoting this message to our players and supporters.”

Article taken from the RFU website:
https://www.englandrugby.com/follow/news-media/bolton-rufcs-hug-ref-campaign-earns-praise-match-officials)